Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

Yang Ling laughed and scolded: "Xiuwei, although our rebel army lacks horses and armor, it is not so bad that we are short of horses and armor. Besides, if we can form a cavalry unit, it will be enough to dominate the world!"

Everyone's blood boiled after hearing this, and they stared at Yang Ling with burning eyes.

Yang Ling continued, "I will now tell you the secret of coordinated operations: infantry in front, archers in the back; cavalry in the middle to coordinate; crossbowmen to provide cover, charge into battle. We must ensure that all forces can play the best effect. Because the infantry is in the front and the cavalry is in the back. If the infantry breaks through the enemy formation, the cavalry will immediately chase and kill them and go straight to the thieves' lair!"

"Understood!" The soldiers responded loudly, each of them eager to try.

Yang Ling said: "Let's practice the infantry sword and shield formation first, then the archers, and finally the coordination."

"Marshal, do you want to train the sword and shield soldiers yourself?" Chen Tieniu asked doubtfully.

Yang Ling said proudly: "That's right! Although our army is poorly equipped, we can't slack off! Sword and shield soldiers are the main force of our army!"

Li Yun interrupted and said, "Brother is right. Sword and shield soldiers must practice, otherwise they will not be able to form combat effectiveness. Although our infantry is relatively simple, it is also the main force of the rebel army."

Yang Ling nodded with satisfaction, and then instructed Li Yun: "During this period of time, you are responsible for supervising the infantry to practice the sword and shield formation!"

"Yes!" Li Yun agreed.

Yang Ling turned to Chen Tieniu and said, "Tieniu, lead the others to practice horseback archery, and teach them to the brothers so that they can become familiar with cavalry combat techniques as soon as possible."

"Okay!"

"Tie Niu, the cavalry training is up to you. The riding and archery skills are up to Li Yun. Remember, don't rush for quick success, just practice diligently!"

"understand!"

Then, Yang Ling arranged the infantry and archers, and took Chen Tieniu and others to practice sword and shield soldiers.

Yang Ling originally wanted to train archers, but after the observation and discussion just now, Yang Ling felt that the threat posed by archers was too low. So he simply changed the original plan and put the focus of infantry training on sword and shield soldiers.

Infantry training was difficult, and Yang Ling spent three or four days to lay a solid foundation for sword and shield soldiers. Of course, this was just the foundation, and it was still a long way from true maturity.

In the next few days, Yang Ling led the infantry and archers to make corresponding adjustments and demonstrations.

Yang Ling personally taught everyone how to use short spears and long-handled axes, how to throw wooden weapons, and how to aim.

After each exercise, Yang Ling would always encourage the soldiers and remind them to learn to cherish their lives.

Not long after, Li Yun led the cavalry to Yang Ling.

Li Yun said to Yang Ling: "Marshal, today is the day for our cavalry to assemble. When do you think we can set off?"

"Let's go!"

Yang Ling immediately took Chen Tieniu and others and followed Li Yun to the east city gate.

Outside the East City Gate, more than two hundred cavalrymen were waiting in line.

Li Yun pointed at the cavalry and excitedly introduced them to Yang Ling: "Marshal, what do you think of this group of cavalry?"

Yang Ling looked in the direction of Li Yun's finger, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

All of the cavalrymen were wearing red armor, and their mounts were all tall and strong. The horses under their crotches were especially handsome, strong, and their manes stood up like steel needles.

"What a great horse!" Yang Ling exclaimed in admiration.

Li Yun laughed loudly and said, "Marshal, don't underestimate them. These horses are all good horses from the Western Regions and are priceless!"

Yang Ling was secretly shocked. These horses were from the Western Regions, and were definitely national treasures. They were actually raised as ordinary horses. It was too extravagant and too wasteful.

Yang Ling retracted his gaze and looked at Li Yun.

Li Yun continued, "General, don't underestimate their horses. They are actually inferior horses selected by civilians. Our cavalry can only run with their legs and horseshoes. Their riding skills vary greatly, and they are not as elite as the cavalry of the government army."

Yang Ling frowned slightly and said, "A poor horse chosen by a commoner?"

"Correct!"

Li Yun explained: "General, do you know where our rebel army got the civilians from?"

Yang Ling shook his head.

Li Yun said: "These civilians are all Han people from Liaodong. They not only select inferior horses for the cavalry to practice riding skills, but also specially breed war horses to make the horses adapt to the galloping speed and rhythm of the cavalry."

Yang Ling suddenly realized that it was no wonder that the people under his command were so good at horse riding.

Li Yun continued, "General, unless we have no other choice, we will not easily use civilian laborers. After all, civilian laborers are also human beings, and they cannot be forced to do hard labor forever."

Yang Ling took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "I understand what you mean."

Yang Ling raised his hand and patted Li Yun on the shoulder, saying seriously: "I understand your concerns. But don't worry, as long as our rebel army still exists, we will not risk anyone's life!"

After Yang Ling finished speaking, he walked forward.

Li Yun looked at Yang Ling's back and sighed secretly.

The agricultural civilization of this era was pitifully backward, the population was sparse, the social structure was loose, and various forces were intertwined and scheming. It was extremely rare to find someone like Li Yun who dared to resist tyranny.

However, Li Yun believed Yang Ling's words. Yang Ling was a man of integrity and he would always keep his word.

Yang Ling stood at the front of the team, looking around at the people around him.

"Dear soldiers, the main reason I called you all here today is to let you get familiar with our newly formed cavalry battalion." Yang Ling said in a loud voice.

"Cavalry Battalion?" People around were talking about it.

Yang Ling nodded and said, "Yes, it is the Cavalry Battalion. From now on, the Cavalry Battalion will be commanded by me. Many of you have followed me for several months, and you should be familiar with my temperament."

"The Marshal is so brave and courageous, and he is the bravest among the three armies!" everyone shouted in unison.

Yang Ling smiled and said, "Since everyone knows, there is no need for me to elaborate. Our rebel army is just starting out, so we must have strong combat capabilities and strong defense capabilities. I have decided to form a cavalry battalion to train cavalry to protect our homeland. I hope you will work together!"

"We will serve you till death!" everyone shouted in unison.

Yang Ling waved his hand and said, "Let's move!"

Everyone jumped off their horses and began to form groups.

Yang Ling brought Li Yun to the cavalry camp's playground.

Yang Ling got off the horse, handed the reins to Li Yun beside him, and said, "Brother Li, please help me take care of the horse first."

Li Yun took the reins and asked, "Where are you going, Marshal?"

"Although the number of cavalrymen in the cavalry battalion is small, they still need a lot of equipment. I will go find a craftsman to quickly equip our cavalry battalion with equipment."

"Okay!" Li Yun agreed, and then urged: "Marshal, go quickly!"

Yang Ling nodded, turned and walked towards the nearby foundry.

Yang Ling, along with two guards, arrived at the foundry gate. The two old men guarding the gate saw Yang Ling and immediately bowed and said, "I greet you, Marshal."

"No need to be polite!" Yang Ling waved his hand.

Yang Ling walked into the foundry and saw that the open space in the yard was filled with various iron lumps and many craftsmen were busy working.

These craftsmen were foundry workers sent to Liaodong by the Ministry of Industry. Since most of them were officials of the Ministry of Industry, Yang Ling was quite polite to them and called them "brother craftsmen".

Yang Ling came in front of the officials of the Ministry of Works, smiled and bowed, saying: "Thank you for your hard work!"

When the foundry workers in the Ministry of Industry heard Yang Ling's words, they were all flattered and shook their heads repeatedly to indicate that it was not hard work.

Yang Ling looked around and said, "You all work so hard here, and you are really admirable."

Everyone became humble.

Yang Ling suddenly frowned and said seriously: "However, these are all for the court, it is official business! I will never allow you to embezzle the wages privately, otherwise I will not forgive you!"

Everyone was stunned, then they knelt down one after another, and said in a fearful manner: "We will obey the orders of the Marshal and will never dare to disobey the Marshal's will!"

"Well, get up." Yang Ling nodded.

Yang Ling then continued, "These days, I plan to form a cavalry battalion and recruit cavalry instructors. I have just examined your riding skills and feel that you are all qualified. However, the cavalry battalion is the core force of my rebel army, so not just anyone can join."

"We are willing to stay!" everyone requested.

Yang Ling waved his hand and said, "No hurry, I need to observe for a few more days!"

Then Yang Ling turned around and instructed the two guards behind him: "You two are responsible for supervising them and checking their training status every day. No cheating or slacking off is allowed. Violators will be severely punished!"

"Yes!" The two guards clasped their fists and accepted the order.

Then Yang Ling left the foundry and walked towards the Ordnance Bureau.

As soon as Yang Ling arrived at the Ordnance Bureau, he met Wang Qinian and a few others moving boxes out.

"Qinian, are you moving the goods?" Yang Ling asked with a smile.

Wang Qinian was delighted when he saw Yang Ling, and said, "Brother, you came at the right time. I was just about to look for you!"

"Oh? What's the matter?" Yang Ling asked in surprise.

Wang Qinian handed the wooden box in his hand to Yang Ling and said with a smile: "Brother, how do you think of these armors?"

Yang Ling opened the wooden box and was immediately blinded by the golden and colorful armor inside.

These armors are all made of brass, but they look exquisite.

"These armors are very beautiful." Yang Ling exclaimed.

Wang Qinian said proudly: "Brother, you are right. These armors are indeed very beautiful. I asked someone to bring them back from Southeast Asia. They are said to be the most advanced mercury armor in the South China Sea. Unfortunately, I have no chance to try them."

"Mercury armor?"

Yang Ling stared at Wang Qinian with eyes wide open, and asked, "Is this true? Can this thing be used?"

Wang Qinian laughed and said, "Brother, don't underestimate it. It is bulletproof, can't be cut by swords or burned by fire, and is much better than iron armor!"

Yang Ling touched his head and said, "Can this thing really be used?"

"Absolutely true!"

Yang Ling looked at Wang Qinian in confusion and asked, "How much do you sell these armors for?"

Wang Qinian pointed at several sets of armor and said excitedly, "Brother, look at this set of mercury armor, it's worth 500 strings of coins; this set of gold mail mail is worth 2,000 strings of coins; this set of black dragon swallowing pearl mail mail is worth 3,000 strings of coins; and this set of white tiger gilded mail mail is even more expensive, costing 6,000 strings of coins; as for the other armors, the prices are almost the same. We went through great pains to get these armors back."

Yang Ling swallowed his saliva and looked at Wang Qinian with envy.

Although these armors are expensive, they are very suitable for cavalry use and are simply magical weapons.

Wang Qinian got these armors through his connections and friends.

Yang Ling himself did not know how to smelt steel, nor how to produce steel. He only knew how to make armor, so he could not make the armor himself. However, Yang Ling knew a lot of people who knew how to do it, so he asked them to help him make the armor. These people were casting masters who were familiar with various materials, so it didn't take long to make these armors.

Of course, these armors were not cheap. The golden chain mail alone cost two thousand taels of silver.

Yang Ling took two deep breaths, suppressed the excitement in his heart, slowly exhaled, and asked in a deep voice: "The cost of these armors is probably not low, right?"

Wang Qinian said bitterly: "This is still cheap! For example, the White Tiger Gilded Chain Mail costs as much as eight hundred taels of silver."

Yang Ling cursed inwardly: "It's really too expensive!"

Yang Ling then raised his head and looked towards the foundry, and said loudly: "You all remember the promise we made today. If anyone dares to be lazy, don't blame me for being ruthless. Work hard, and you will benefit from it in the future."

Everyone expressed their stance, saying they would never slack off.

Yang Ling nodded, and then said to Wang Qinian: "Qinian, you continue to supervise their cavalry training. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first!"

Yang Ling hurried back to the government office and called the three deputy generals Xu Shiji, Zhang Xian and Wu Dui to discuss the matter of recruiting new soldiers.

Xu Shiji said: "Marshal, we have already recruited 3,000 people. Do we need to expand?"

Yang Ling said: "We now have more than 3,000 civilians, but we are still short of more than 2,000 soldiers. I want to recruit new soldiers."

Zhang Xian frowned and said, "Conscripting soldiers is definitely much more difficult than collecting grain!"

Xu Shiji said: "We are strong now, so recruiting soldiers shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Yang Ling said: "Of course it's not difficult. The problem is that we don't have a staff, so we can't issue a conscription notice. I plan to set up a temporary recruitment office, and you will be in charge of this matter."

Xu Shiji nodded and said, "Okay, I'll arrange for someone to handle this matter tomorrow."

After the three of them finished discussing, Yang Ling reminded them, "You must keep this conscription confidential and don't leak the news."

Xu Shiji nodded and said, "Don't worry, Marshal, we know the seriousness of this matter!"

Yang Ling smiled and said, "Okay, then I won't send you out."

After Xu Shiji, Zhang Xian and others left, Yang Ling sat on a chair and thought. After a while, he picked up the brush on the table, dipped it in ink, and wrote on the paper: "I want to lead my troops to the north and recruit 3,000 soldiers."

Then Yang Ling blew the ink dry, put it into an envelope and sealed it. Then he picked up the teapot, filled it with tea, stood up and walked out the door.

After arriving at the front yard, Yang Ling called Zhou Huaian.

Zhou Huaian hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Marshal."

Yang Ling smiled and nodded, then asked, "I have something for you to do."

"Marshal, please speak." (End of this chapter)